TAKE'S TOOLS TALE

If you want 'bio' stuff, you can find it over at Wild YAM blog, at Aatmaavrajanam blog, on the Google Plus Profile...or, indeed, still more at RedBubble. Each has it's own bit relating those blogs and that aspect of life. Here, "life's" aspect is photography.Photography has been a part of my life since childhood. From the Kodak Instamatic to the Minolta SLR and sharing dad's darkroom. Oh the magic of light, paper and chemicals!

When the SLR 'died' film photography was already being considered antiquarian but I resisted digital for quite some time, replacing the wieldy SLR equipment with a 'handycam' film camera - still Minolta. It travelled the world with me and proved itself worthy of its name - though the processing of the film stock was not only becoming prohibitively expensive, it was also clear that some of it had been on the shelf well beyond its use-by... Eventually that camera died, though, and I bought my first digicam - Minolta again. &*>

There came the fateful moment of lending it to a mate; and that was that.

Next was the Uniden 7.1mp which survived 6 years of almost constant use and nearly endless travel. The beauty of that one was I won it!!! Even if I had wanted another Minolta, it was by now not possible. The Uniden proved itself a very worthwhile instrument and I came to love digital work with that little gem. However, once we got to India, Uni and I had a bit of a struggle. Me loving the climate; Uni, not so much. I also had a nasty habit of pointing it at the sun....

In November 2012, along came the Nikon ('Nik') L810. Top end of its market at the time, but still essentially a point and shoot.

It died barely two years into the running. Mind you it took some punishment and travelled the world in that time. ...have you noticed my penchant for pointing it at the bright thing in the sky???

Now it is the Fujifilm S9200; a bigger and more meaningful beast and the closest yet in returning to SLR standards. A true 'bridge' camera, with lots of bells and whistles yet to be discovered and found uses for. It will take some practice to work it well. There will be mistakes. Pointing at the sun will not be one of them... well... not deliberately...

It is called The Fudge...

ADVENTURES IN CREATIVITY

Always have had an artistic streak in me - real art mind; paints, brushes, canvases stuff. Or pens and pencils as the case may be.

One of the joys of digital photography is the ability to manipulate the images so very much more than dad and I ever did in the dark room. That was fun. This is heaven.

However, the artist does insist on showing up from time to time. For a while I did note all the basic tech specs of the images, but - apart from being tedious - I am now firmly of the opinion that in the digital age such figures have become somewhat irrelevant. Certainly when using images for technical works and publishing, that stuff is handy to know. Really though - do you the viewer want to have the beauty of the image before you brought in to the mundane by such things? Any one really wants to know it, they can find it out no bother.

No - Even with the 'straight' shots, I wish you the viewer to take it on its visual merits, its appeal to you and the impression it leaves you with. Even if that is a shudder. Sometimes there is a story. Sometimes not.

When it comes to advanced creativity though, I get stuck in with Fotor, PhoXo, and Paint. Sometimes Windows Live Photo Gallery, but rarely go there now. It was in March 2015 that a light-bulb moment sparked. It was the result of a number of threads being drawn together... after a mammoth three week effort, the RedBubble shop opened. That is the outlet for the full artistic requirements. Do please drop by and see if there is a piece that will set off your wall, or make the cuppa a lot more fun, or dress the couch with a statement of colour...

Most of all, thank you for following MY TAKE. Sharing the view from here.

YAM xx

For the record, all images on MY TAKE are kept as 'out of camera' unless I tell you otherwise. It's a photographer's pride thing. Boring though it be, it is also necessary here to remind that all works are copyright to Yamini Ali MacLean. No use without permission. Thank you for your courtesy.

YAM's Eternal Flame with prayer:

May each find in their heart a sense of peace. May each find in their heart the way to peace. May each find in their heart True Love Divine. May each find in their heart peace and only peace. Amen. You too can light a candle and leave a prayer. Click the image.